Movie Madness....And Mad Cow Disease.

And now, having absolutely nothing to do with Linux......

Yesterday, I stumbled onto an Honest-2-Emmy movie set.

On BonnieBrook Drive, which runs off of TeraVista, which itself runs off Southwest Parkway, I ran face to face into James Spader...along with about 300 other people. Having business in that neighborhood, I had no idea a movie was being shot when I first came upon the street I was looking for.

When I turned onto Bonniebrook, I was just about stunned. The half mil per house neighborhood street was absolutely trashed. I mean really trashed...limbs and garbage strewn from one end of the two block street to the other. Yards had junk and paper blowing around in them. I was trying to figure out what had happened. Maybe a "straightline" wind? Kind of a sideways tornado that Texas seems to have their fair share of? Maybe some of the most industrious vandals in the business? There were two motorcycle cops at the end of the street but they didn't even give me a second glance. My first thought was that they were securing a crime scene.

Obviously not...they let my unmarked white passenger van in without as much as a nod.

When I got to the end of the cul-du-sac, it all made sense. The props department was set up there along with a dozen or so trucks, tents, extras milling around a buffet table and giant fans with THE big lights scattered about. James Spader was standing there in the driveway of the house I was to do the install in. WITH who I later found out to be Robert Rodriguez....who knew? I walked up to him like we had been friends for years. I said the only thing I could think of to say. I looked him dead in the eye and held out my hand to be shook...

"I think I have Mad Cow Disease."

Of course, he immediately laughed. He shook my hand and introduced me to Mr. Rodriguez.
He obviously thought I had important business with him...at least he acted as if he thought such silliness.

Oh, if you watch Boston Legal, you get it the Mad Cow thing, if you don't...it won't make sense anyway. I briefly explained who I was and what I was doing there. Without blinking, I asked them if he knew if Linux was being used in the production of the film and just by the way... what film was being shot? Fully expecting him to look at me like I owed him money, I didn't foster one ioda of hope that he'd answer me. The "man" standing next to him told me that yes it was, as a matter of fact... in some of the editing and graphics capacities. He asked why I asked.

I told him.

James Spader was called onto set. He clapped me on the shoulder and pointed his finger at me as he walked away.

"We'll pick this up later"

I smiled and pointed back at him and mentally said: "Huh"?

He still thought I was "Somebody." That's too funny.

The movie name is "Shorts." It was 5 pm in the afternoon on the tenth of June...The day I shook James Spaders' hand and convinced him I was "Somebody".

Go figure. At least you guys know better.

Thankfully.

OK...enough of my near-misses with fame...Let's get ready to go to Felton.

Maybe I'll run into Clint while he's out slumming.

That's a wrap.

All-Righty Then